The plug-ins being made available enable developers to access machine learning and IoT cloud services such as those from IBM Watson, Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services and Amazon Web Services (AWS) Machine Learning and IoT. That approach makes it possible for developers to invoke those services via an application programming interface (API) versus trying to embed those capabilities in an application themselves.

In addition, OutSystems previewed an ability to generate REST APIs and Docker containers to create an application based on microservices. Available via an early access program, that capability is also being integrated with staging and impact analysis software that OutSystems already provides. That capability is expected to be generally available in 2018.

OutSystems also previewed forthcoming integration between its application development platform and the Microsoft Teams collaboration software on the Azure Cloud and support as part of an ongoing effort to improve DevOps. OutSystems also announced that it is adding tools to make it simpler to build mobile applications in addition to tools that enable those applications to be visually debugged.

OutSystems CEO Paulo Rosado says adding the ability to call these services is part of an ongoing effort to simplify application development by making available plug-ins that eliminate the need for developers to write code to access external services.

In general, Rosado says, organizations should make use of external services whenever the task is trying to be accomplished in a non-differentiated process. Custom application development should be reserved for instances where organizations are applying their own intellectual property to a process. Low-code platforms, says Rosado, make it possible to now deliver those applications on time.

“Low code plus agile allows for extreme predictability,” says Rosado.

Historically, low-code platforms have been employed to rapidly develop lightweight applications. But Rosado says the OutSystems platform is capable of being used to build complex applications on average in eight weeks. In fact, Rosado says applications that can scale to 11,250 transactions per second can be deployed using OutSystems.

It’s not clear yet to what degree low-code approaches to building applications will replace other application development methodologies. But given the backlog of applications and change requests most IT organizations are wrestling, chances are high that many of them are likely to conclude that existing methodologies simply can’t keep pace with demand.

IT Solutions Builder
TOP IT RESOURCES TO MOVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD

Which topic are you interested in?

Mobile

Security

Networks/IoT

Cloud

Data Storage

Applications

Development

IT Management

Other

What is your company size?

What is your job title?

What is your job function?

Searching our resource database to find your matches...

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Sign up now and get the best business technology insights direct to your inbox.

Advertiser Disclosure:
Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which QuinStreet receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. QuinStreet does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.